"The one thing I'm really happy with the new material is that it doesn't sound like what we'd have done next if I hadn't left in 1979," he said.

Then, referring to their classic 1970 album 'Paranoid', he added: "It isn't like we've tried to make 'Paranoid' again. It sounds like Black Sabbath, but it's very current. I mean, with Pro Tools and computers and everything, we could make us sound like anything."

Geezer Butler, meanwhile, said that the new material reminded him of "the heavier side of Sabbath" and said of the lyrical content: "It's very depressing. We've got all the usual contenders: death, religion, death, abuse, death."

Black Sabbath will release their 19th studio album, titled '13', on June 10 and will also play a series of arena tour dates and festival appearances throughout the year. Yesterday, it was reported that original drummer Bill Ward would not be involved in the reunion shows as he was not able to remember how to play his instrument and that he could not cut being in the band.

"We looked at Bill, and he couldn't remember what the fuck we were doing," said Osbourne. "But he didn't come clean and say, 'I can't cut this gig, but can we work something out, guys, where I'll come on but with another drummer backing me up?' Or, 'I'll come and play a few songs.' That would have been cool."

Sabbath recently announced a UK arena tour for December 2013. The band will kick off the tour at London's O2 Arena on December 12, before calling in at Belfast, Sheffield, Glasgow and Manchester before a homecoming show at Birmingham’s LG Arena on December 20.